Do Not Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer Before You Read This

You have been injured in an accident, and now you are thinking of hiring a personal injury lawyer. Maybe you find yourself bombarded by advertising: bus benches, newspapers, billboards, radio, and even TV are covered with ads for personal injury lawyers begging you to call. You search Google, and find another barrage of ads before you even get to the search results, where you find page after page of personal injury lawyers. How are you supposed to choose? If you are thinking of hiring a personal injury lawyer, read this first and save yourself a lot of trouble and confusion.

Start Here

If you start researching personal injury lawyers in Alberta, you will probably notice one thing very quickly: it is hard to find information from a neutral source. In other words, you will find that those who stand to make money from your attention provide most of the information. Injury lawyers post information hoping that you will hire them. Legal directories hope you will click so they can make money advertising to you. Referral sites hope they can send you on to a personal injury lawyer as a “lead” and make money. That does not necessarily mean the information provided by these sites is bad or untrue, it is simply a reminder to consider the source of information you find on the internet, and possible motives behind publishing that information.

Avoiding the “Bait-and-Switch”

Do the services, prices, or terms promised in the lawyer’s marketing match what is actually provided? In practice, this can be harder to determine than you might think. Here are some things you can do to avoid the “bait-and-switch”:

Find out if your lawyer is familiar with the local customs and conventions, his or her fellow members of the bar, or even the local judges. Is the firm actually located in your area? These days it is easier than ever to appear to have multiple “locations” by including addresses for offices in different areas. Look closer and you will see that many offices are post office boxes, hotels, or virtual office spaces. If a firm is pretending to have a location in your area just to get your business, is that in your best interest? Can a firm with headquarters in Ontario really help you in Alberta? Even though the law is the same across a jurisdiction such as a province, in practice there can be major differences in procedure and practice from city to city or town to town. Law, like many professions, depends on relationships and if a law firm has no ties to your community, it may negatively affect your claim.

Protect Yourself

We believe that an informed client is ultimately a happier client; if you think you are getting one thing from your lawyer and end up with something different, you are probably not going to be satisfied. That is why we share as much information as we can about the personal injury claim process in Alberta and how we work with and for you, from start to finish. Maybe we are the right lawyers for you, and maybe not, but how can you make an informed decision without all the right information? Here are some of the resources we provide to help you make your choice:

The best defense against aggressive marketing and confusing or deceptive practices is a good education. Google the names of the firms or lawyers you are considering and find out what unbiased sources say about them. If a firm has an award or designation listed on its website, research the source and the criteria for receiving it – you might be surprised. Ask your friends, family, and medical professionals for a personal referral; non-lawyers cannot receive referral fees for referring you to a lawyer. Look for well-established, successful firms that do not rely as heavily on advertising. If a firm can stay in business for a long time without heavy advertising, it is probably doing something right.

Call Today

Call (403) 273-8580 to arrange to speak to a lawyer, or use our contact form and someone will get back to you within 24 hours to set up a meeting with a lawyer.

SPEAK WITH A LAWYER

If you or a loved one has been in a motor vehicle accident or suffered a personal injury, it won’t cost anything to talk with a lawyer. Simply call our office at (403) 273-8580 to schedule a convenient time to come see us — or we'll even come to see you. Use our contact form and someone will get back to you within 24 hours to set up a meeting with a lawyer.

Straight Talk – A Plain Language Guide To Personal Injury Claims

If you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident - or been hurt in a non-vehicular accident - you have a right to seek compensation for your injuries. The following questions and answers are intended to serve as a plain language guide to the most commonly asked questions following an accident. … LEARN MORE ...

IN YOUR LANGUAGE

At no charge to you, we will arrange to have a translator who speaks your language present in our offices when you meet with your lawyer. More ...